LOTSE

Guide to searching literature and to scientific work

LOTSE (Library Online Tour and Self Paced Education) is a guide to searching literature and to scientific work. The portal is situated at the University and State Library Münster, with 18 scholarly portals and libraries from different disciplines as contributors. In this context, the German Education Portal is responsible for "LOTSE Pädagogik“.

LOTSE Pädagogik offers information and tipps, partly general and partly specific to pedagogics – on scientific research and work which can be accessed individually at one’s own pace. Users will mainly find short text with link tips on the four main topics of “Searching and obtaining literature“ „writing and publishing”, “staying up to date” “finding addresses and contact information” and “Searching facts and references”“. Interactive quizzs, materials for scientific work and tips for helpful software as well as a glossary of important terms in scientific work are collected.

LOTSE mainly targets Bachelor and Masters‘ course students. Moreover, lecturers and /or librarians can use the portal for the preparation or revision of courses or training sessions.

History

From 2001 until 2003 LOTSE was developed by the University and State Library of Münster, in the framework of a project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The first group of subjects was launched in 2002 (Pedagogy and Medical Science). From 2008 until 2010, the German Research Foundation (DFG) funded Lotse II, thus the service was adapted to didactic standards and enriched by the video and quiz modules. Furthermore, a category with materials and tips was added.

LOTSE is offered on the German Education Portal. In total, 18 portals and libraries support LOTSE, the German Education Portal has been involved in LOTSE since the first project phase.